NLADA’s Annual Conference is the leading national training event of the year for the civil legal aid, indigent defense, and public interest law communities. The conference offers advocates the latest substantive information and professional skills they need to creatively and effectively meet the legal needs of low-income people, and provides unparalleled opportunities to meet and exchange ideas with colleagues from across the country while fulfilling continuing legal education requirements. This year’s conference theme is: “Building on our Legacy: The Next 100 Years” which continues build upon the framework created during our Centennial Conference –“Blueprint for Justice.”

Civil Theme

Building on our Legacy: The Next Five Years

For the last 100 years, NLADA's civil members have faced enormous challenges in the pursuit of justice for people living in poverty. Incredible victories have been won over that century of change. These gains have always been followed by further challenges. Never have those challenges been greater than they are today. Communities across the nation remain in the depths of a deep and enduring recession. We continue to see record numbers of home foreclosures, enormously high rates of unemployment and incidents of domestic violence stemming from the troubled economy. These issues require a national response. Recently, states have begun to address the lack of a national policy on immigration by considering harsh enforcement policies that have led to racial profiling and other civil rights violations that signal a return to some of the worst practices of the nation's past.

The confluence of these issues demands that the civil legal aid community look creatively to fashion the most effective strategies possible during a time of shrinking resources to meet the incredible growth in demand for services. We invite our communities to come together to strategize about where we can, and want to be, in five years. By creating together a shared vision for our future, we can all work in concert to achieve that goal.

This year’s civil them will provide a forum for legal aid leaders to: share what is working; brainstorm how to garner more resources locally and nationally; plan strategic advocacy efforts for lasting and substantial impact; engage client and other communities in creative ways to help us communicate our values; and learn more about data collection and analysis, evidence-based practices and research as a strategic tool.

This year's civil theme will also explore what legal aid providers can do to mitigate the financial challenges they face while at the same time retooling their advocacy efforts to achieve maximum impact.

Among the areas we intend to address are:

The Changing Demographics of Poverty in the United States/Likely Trends Over 5 Years

Key Substantive Issues Related to the Economic Crisis Affecting Poor People and Communities of Color

Representing Immigrants in an Uncertain World

Scenario Planning for Political Change

Strategic Advocacy for Lasting Results

Increasing Funding in a Time of Economic Crisis

Developing and Using Research and Data Effectively

Defender Theme

Justice Under Construction: Building Blocks for the Effective Assistance of Counsel

The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution states: “In criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right… to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.” In Gideon v. Wainwright, the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously held that a poor person accused of a serious crime was entitled to the appointment of defense counsel at state expense. In Re Gault built upon the Supreme Court’s decision by extending to children the same rights as adults by providing counsel to the indigent child charged in juvenile delinquency proceedings. Likewise the right was extended to all state misdemeanor proceedings where there is a potential loss of liberty in Argersinger v. Hamlin.

Almost 50 years after the decision in Gideon, the realization, implementation and enforcement of the constitutional right to counsel has been slow to develop and seems to have regressed in recent years.

Many defense programs are compromised by a lack of independence and inadequate funding, resulting in excessive caseloads, high turnover, and a lack of technology, training and other resources necessary to provide quality representation for clients.

Even after the 2010 Department of justice Indigent Defense Symposium, where the Attorney General of the United States Eric Holder observed that “…we have a very serious problem on our hands,” consistent and meaningful change has been difficult.

We in the defender community must commit ourselves to a methodical, factual and consistent construction of the household of justice. Despite the apparent empathy of the Attorney General and the optimism that flowed from his speeches and comments, the defense community, for many reasons, has been unable to make significant progress in fulfilling the promise of Gideon, weakening the foundation for that house.

The objective of this year’s Defender Track is to provide a defender construction plan or blueprint, if you will, by considering the many challenges facing defense systems and providing building blocks for planning, collecting, analyzing and reporting of data necessary to reinforce the foundation upon which justice is built. Through the National Defender Leadership Institute (NDLI), the Defender Track will offer sessions that will develop and enhance the capacity for leadership of both new and experienced defenders that will make the promise of Gideon a reality.

Client Theme

Cultivating the Next Generation of Client and Community Advocates

Client and community advocates share a strong legacy of activism and service. Building on that legacy requires renewed outreach and engagement to the next generation of client and community advocates.

This year’s client track will focus on building the skills necessary to engage and enlist new client and community leaders. Learn strategies and tools for more effective communication and conflict management. Discover how the next generation uses social media, webinars and other technology to communicate and learn. Share your experiences as social justice advocates in your local communities. Learn what strategies your peers are using to get connected, stay connected and enlist the next generation of client and community leaders.

Board Theme

Taking it to the Next Level in Difficult Economic Times

In today’s challenging economic times, legal services programs need the leadership and engagement of every board member. With cuts to federal and state budgets, legal services programs and the communities they serve must achieve more with less. Every board member brings unique and important skills, connections and knowledge to the table. This year’s board track will focus on equipping boards to maximize the time and talents of their members. Join us as we explore how board members can play the roles that are needed in today’s challenging times. Equip yourself and your board with the skills to connect more broadly and deeply in your communities. Ensure that each board member knows how he or she can contribute to the organization’s success. Increase financial literacy beyond the finance committee. Engage in succession planning to bring in the next generation of legal services board leaders.

Joint Theme

Evidenced-Based Practices: The New Frontier

The Civil and Defender communities’ development, integration and use of evidence-based practices in the delivery of legal services and indigent defense is the “next frontier” in serving our clients’ needs. Expertise coupled with planning and developing outcomes for data and research ensures its effective use. We seek sessions to explore this theme including:

Use of data and research; implementing evidence-based practices

Measuring and communicating our success and value

Overcoming obstacles to implementing new practices

Best practices, tools and lessons learned

Civil and defender – similarities and differences

Communications - New Sessions Added

More and more organizations are using social media to deliver messages externally quickly and succinctly. And, more and more organizations are using Facebook and LinkedIn to create and foster communication among members. But are we forgetting the basics? Are we too quickly sacrificing an op-ed in the paper for a 140 character tweet? Are we relying on digital chat rooms and forgetting the value of face to face interaction? We’d love to hear from you. Design a session that addresses the value of integrating both traditional media and new media tools and vehicles into your organization’s communications strategy.

Fundraising - New Sessions Added

Fundraising can seem Sisyphean in uncertain economic times. Individual and corporate donors are more likely to reduce or withhold funding until their own economic outlook has improved – and even then, some donors are seeing the downturn in the economy as prime time to reassess their charitable giving patterns. Add in declining membership and changing member demographics, and fundraising gets even trickier. So what’s the answer? Share your stories and fundraising skills with the equal justice community and consider submitting a session proposal that focuses on using social media and new and creative ways of reaching donors.